


Snuggle Bug

by sonicdrift2



Series: Self Inserts [3]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Data breaks into your room but you forgive him, Data is snuggly, F/M, Fluff, M/M, One-Shot, Other, Snarky Reader, cuddle fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 08:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21133982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonicdrift2/pseuds/sonicdrift2
Summary: Based on prompt: "You come to my room and wake me up at 4am, to cuddle?"





	Snuggle Bug

**Author's Note:**

> Based on prompt: "You come to my room and wake me up at 4am, to cuddle?"

Data hesitated outside your door, his hand poised to knock.

You had retired to your quarters three hours, seven minutes and fifty-two seconds ago, surely you would be sleeping. It made this the perfect time for him to conduct this particular experiment. Although if he knocked, he risked the chance of waking you. A similar problem arose if he requested permission to enter via computer. He could open the door himself with his override code, but then would that be unethical? You had once given him “blanket permission” to enter your quarters any time as friends, but did that include some human exceptions he was not aware of? Humans had so many unwritten social rules that Data was still in the process of learning.

He punched in the override code. If he was committing some social faux pas, you would be sure to correct and forgive him. Numerous past experiences (Eighteen of them in total, to be precise,) assured him of this. Complete darkness met him as the door slid open, and his eyes adjusted accordingly. He let the door slip shut behind him. Data stepped lightly, gliding over to your bedroom door. It was cracked open, a shirt preventing it from closing all the way. He smiled fondly and removed the offending article, tossing it into the corner with the others. You were only typically messy when you were tired. He had no doubt come morning, your quarters would be back in pristine condition.

You made a noise in your sleep, shuffling the covers. Data froze, his head snapping towards the sound. He could see the general shape of you, completely buried under several blankets save for the top of your head. Fascinating, Data thought, he had never really observed much of human sleeping. It was usually uninteresting, but you moved and twitched as you slept, seemingly restless. He leaned down to take a closer look, and to his surprise your eyes were moving rapidly behind your eyelids. It seems you were participating in REM sleep. He would practice that later.

The next part of this experiment required your explicit permission, and Data regrettably had to wake you up. He said your name softly, hands clasped behind his back. You'd mentioned to him once you hated being shaken awake, so he kept repeating your name with increasing volume until your eyes fluttered open.

* * *

Someone was saying your name.

You slowly came to, eyes blinking open rapidly, trying to see in the dark.

Wait, scratch that, it wasn't completely dark. There was something glowing right above your face. It was two low, pinpricks of yellow light. Suddenly wide awake, your heart beating rapidly, your hands twitched for a phaser that wasn't there. Your groggily brain was still in the process of waking up, you had no idea what this could be. If you could just reach under your pi-

They said your name again, and you breathed a huge sigh of relief. You knew that voice.

“Data, don’t fucking scare me like that.” You hissed, pulling your blanket higher above your chin. You didn't need to see him to know his eyebrows were raised.

“I am sorry, that was not my intention. I have something to ask of you.” He said, entirely too loud.

You scowled, eyes darting to the clock on the wall. It read four a.m., and you groaned. Your shift today had been extra long due to a sick crew member, and you had only gotten two hours of sleep. Tomorrow would be hell if you didn't get back to sleep soon.

“Data, this better be important.”

He inhaled deeply, his hesitation apparent. There was a ten second lapse before he spoke up.

“I would like to engage in the human activity of cuddling. My research said it is best conducted during sleep.”

Your brain short circuited. You pushed yourself up, ordering the lights on at ten percent. You and Data had become close over the course of a few months, and you allowed him to get away with a lot of things you'd never let anyone else do, but this crossed a line. Yet, you were surprised to find the idea of cuddling Data very appealing. Despite your interest, you were a grump when you were tired, and you were going to give him a hard time about it.

“Let me get this straight, you broke into my room, I assume, to wake me up at four a.m., because you wanted to cuddle?”

“Yes.” His immediate and straightforward answer made you sigh.

You grabbed the covers and threw them back, patting the bed. You were too tired for all these shenanigans.

“Come on then. Take off your shoes.”

He obliged, sitting on the edge of the bed to take them off before stiffly sliding under the covers, still in full uniform. You tucked the blanket around his shoulders before ordering the lights back off. You flopped down on top of him, pressing your face into his chest, throwing an arm over his torso, the other curled against his side. As you settled, you made a noise of contentment. He was very warm, and you could hear a soft, mechanical hum under his artificial skin. It was soothing and quiet in the best of ways.

“This is nice.” You mumbled, and he made a noise of agreement.

He mirrored your position as best he could, putting his free arm around your waist. It was a bit awkward because he was lying on his back and you on your side, but you were comfortable.

“Data?”

“Yes?”

“Don't ever break into my room again.”

“I will not enter your quarters in the future without explicit permission.” Data promised, running his thumb over your hip.

“Good.” You said, letting your eyes shut. You were asleep again in minutes.

* * *

Data did not sleep. It was a commonly known fact, androids did not need sleep. Looking down at you, he wished he was capable of it. He felt your breathing even out as you slipped back into sleep. He turned his head to watch your face. The bags under your eyes made him feel something akin to worry. Not the actual emotion itself, mind you, but he had to assume it was close. Perhaps tonight had not been the best evening to conduct this particular experiment. He had read that while people can sleep during cuddling, sometimes they engaged in deep conversation during this activity, but he knew no such conversations would be happening tonight.

He reveled in the fact that your body curled naturally around his, and not for the first time he desperately wished he could feel it. You were soft and warm, and seemed to relax as he rubbed circles into your hip, so he continued to do so. Curiously, your sleep was much more quiet and “restful” than when he had first entered the room. Could that be because of his presence? It was an interesting theory. He let his own eyelids shut, pretending he could feel the warmth radiating from your body.

Data would have to conduct multiple experiments before he came to a satisfactory conclusion.

**Author's Note:**

> Self indulgence feels great.
> 
> Please review!


End file.
